Thursday, July 17, 2008

Holy HatBags Batman!


One of the silliest things I make of all the treasures I "save" are HatBags. The embroidered hat was the first hat bag I made. It was cute as a button but so small that my then 8 year old daughter could barely wear it on her head so I knew the odds of selling it were slim. The hat was soft and as I held it in my hand it sort of folded together forming a shape like a clutch bag. With its light color I thought, "hmm, no, it will get too dirty as a clutch" and the first HatBag was born!
I lovely how the damaged Pucci blouse transformed the heinous olive tulle pillbox with green glitter (!) polka dots into something almost stylish. Stylish with a goofy edge that is. Hatbags are certainly conversation starters! The bag keeps the structural integrity of the hat intact. All the weight of your sundries are born by the bag itself. If someone wanted the hat "back one line of stitching can be removed and the hat is restored.

I carried the hot pink one at a Fund Raiser where it was a big hit before it was raffled off.
And the Mamie Eisenhower-esque gun metal and silver beaded cloche was transformed with the slubbed silk of a salvaged ball gown. My friend Melissa carried this to one (of her many!) award banquets where she is a top achiever at Valassis.
I have made custom bags out of sentimental hats (grandma's old mink comes to mind). They are a fun way to transform something that sits in the closet to something that you can use any day.
PS I FINALLY got he pictures of the wedding gown-pillow transformation to post; scroll down three entries if you would like to see it!
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